Day Three Notebook: Pads On, Intensity Up

North Texas Had Its First Practice In Shoulderpads On Wednesday

DENTON - The third day of practice Wednesday was the first with the North Texas football players wearing shoulder pads. The addition of pads provided even more energy to an eager Mean Green team that is now just 23 days away from its season opener against rival SMU at Apogee Stadium.

Block of the Day: Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Elex Woodworth of Mesquite, Texas, pancaked the opposing defensive tackle on a run block towards the end of practice.

Punt of the Day: During special team drills, punter Eric Keena from Keller averaged around 45 yards a punt. But one of his punts Wednesday that was boomed from the 20 yard-line carried in air to the opposite 20 for a 60-yard punt.

Pass of the Day: Quarterback Alec Morris (Allen) put perfect touch on a pass to receiver Rico Bussey, Jr. (Lawton, Oklahoma) along the sideline between two defenders. Bussey, Jr. collected it and ran another 25 yards for a touchdown.

Run of the Day: During 11-on-11 drills, junior running back Willie Ivery (Sulpher Springs, Texas) with the hole not quite open yet, showed great patience when he came to a complete stop and waited a full second or two for the hole to open. Once it did, he showed a good burst through it and scampered his way into the end zone.

Quarterback turned tight end Caleb Chumley (Longview, Texas) was a constant threat in the middle of the field for short and intermediate passes as his 6-foot-5 frame was difficult to defend.

In individual drills, tight end Kelvin Smith of Spring, Texas, showed good hands and that he is a reliable weapon over the middle of the field.

Once a high school rival to Woodworth, the Mean Green's defensive back Andrew Jones (Mesquite) showed good ball skills against receivers in one-on-one drills.

Freshman receiver Kam Duhon stands at just 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, but the Southlake Carroll High School graduate didn't back down in drills against opposing corners. He maintained a physical nature even against bigger defenders.

Fellow freshman JoJo Ozougwu, a 6-foot-3 defensive end from Alief, Texas, was a constant threat in the backfield Wednesday

For most freshmen, special teams is where you make a name for yourself. Wednesday, Michael Lawrence (Sweetwater, Texas) was that freshman. In a punt return drill, Lawrence received praise from special teams coordinator Tommy Perry for his blocking technique.

Junior defensive end Joshua Wheeler (Grand Prairie, Texas) made an important sack towards the end of practice that had the entire defensive unit running onto the field to celebrate.

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